Head down to Cit
y Hall on Tuesday (Dec 8), 5:30 – 6 PM for the Mayor’s Dazzling Holiday Drive Thru. Come see the beautiful lights, Frosty the Snowman, and the giant puppets.
Better yet, if you’re in a position to help, bring:
- An unwrapped gift (ages newborn -10y) to support the Newton Police Department’s “stuff a cruiser” for the Village Bank’s Gift Drive.
- A grocery store gift card for the Newton Food Bank
As Meredith Warshaw’s post pointed out, the demands on the food banks has been unprecedented this year. They and their clients can use all the help they can get. If you don’t come to the event, consider making a donation directly to one of our three food banks – the Newton Food Pantry, Centre Street Food Pantry, and the Arabic Baptist Food Pantry.
The Mayor’s newsletter has more ways to give gifts to kids:
Holiday Gift Drive
For some Newton families, this holiday season is bringing worry about paying the bills instead of the fun of picking out the perfect present for the kids. The Village Bank and Newton Rotary are teaming up with our Newton Health and Human Services Department for our Holiday Gift Drive to provide kids aged newborn to 10 with a gift for the holiday. Donations will be accepted through Tuesday, Dec. 15.
There are many ways to donate:
* Send a tax deductible cash donation to the Rotary Club of Newton (click on Donate to Newton Rotary Foundation and select Holiday Gift Drive).
* Drop off a new, unwrapped gift or gift card from a local Newton merchant at any Village Bank location, or at drop boxes at Henry Bear’s Park in Newtonville or Just Next Door in Auburndale.
For some reason the link to the Rotary Club holiday gift drive didn’t go through. It’s https://newtonrotaryclub.com/Stories/newton-holiday-gift-still-going-strong and options include giving through their Amazon wish list.
Thank you, Meredith and Jerry, for the Holiday Gift Drive shout out. The Amazon Wishlist will be deactivated shortly since the distribution days are rapidly approaching. If kind donors prefer not to shop in person, you can give a call to our good friends at Just Next Door or Henry Bears Park and they will happily handle the transaction over the phone. SHOP LOCAL – DONATE LOCAL!! Or make a cash donation to the Newton Rotary Foundation and let our “elves” do the shopping! It is only with your help that we can ensure a wonderful and warm winter holiday for all our neighbors. With gratitude.
Tuesday night’s Drive-Thru event was a blast and they collected LOTs of toys, gift cards and donations from the big crowd that turned up.
Thanks to all the generous folks who brought car’s full of donations and special shout out to all the volunteers, particularly the puppeteers, who made it happen. Here’s a great photo from the Newton Tab, of Chris, one of the Village Bank volunteers who was unflappable enough to volunteer to take on the biggest puppet of all. Check it out